The History of Philosophy in IslamBoer, T. J. de (Tjitze J.)
Islamic
The History of Philosophy in Islam
Boer, T. J. de (Tjitze J.)
Islamic philosophy -- History
To the five terms of Porphyry, a sixth,—the ‘Individual’—is added, no
doubt for the sake of symmetry. Three of these,—Genus, Species,
Individual,—are then called Objective Qualifications and
three,—Difference, Property, Accident—Abstract or Conceptional
Qualifications. The Categories are Genus-conceptions, of which the
first is Substance, the other nine denoting its Accidents. The whole
system of Concepts is farther developed by a division into species. But
besides Division, there are three additional logical methods in use:
Analysis, Definition and Deduction. Analysis is the method for
beginners, because it permits a knowledge of what is individual. More
subtle, however, as disclosing to us what is spiritual,—are Definition
and Deduction, the former investigating the essential nature of
Species, and the latter that of Genera. The Senses apprise us of the
existence of things; but acquaintance with the essence of things is
gained by reflection. The information which is conveyed to us by the
senses is small, as it were the letters of the alphabet. Of greater
importance considerably are the principles of rational knowledge, just
as words have more significance than letters; but the most important
knowledge of all, lies in the propositions which have been derived from
those principles, and which the human mind gains for itself or
appropriates, in contradistinction to that knowledge which Nature or
the Divine revelation has imparted to it.
7. From God, the highest Being, who is exalted above all distinctions
and oppositions both of the Material and the Spiritual, the whole world
is derived by the path of Emanation. If now and again a Creation is
spoken of, that is only to be understood as a form of adaptation to
theological language. The gradation then of the Emanations is exhibited
as follows: 1. The Creative Spirit (νοῦς, ʻaql); 2. The Passive Spirit,
or the All-Soul or World-Soul; 3. The First Material; 4. The Operative
Nature, a power of the World-Soul; 5. The Absolute Body, called also,
the Second Material; 6. The World of the Spheres; 7. The Elements of
the Sublunary World; 8. The Minerals, Plants and Animals composed of
these elements. These then are the eight Essences which,—together with
God, the Absolute One, who is in everything and with
everything—complete the series of Original Essences corresponding to
the nine Cardinal Numbers.
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